Meta has temporarily suspended an internal artificial intelligence training programme after a reported leak exposed employee conversations, performance information and transcriptions across the company, according to a report by Business Insider. The development comes at a time when employee morale at the social media giant is already under strain amid layoffs and rapid AI-driven changes.

According to screenshots reviewed by Business Insider, the incident was classified as a Severity 2 (SEV 2) event on Meta’s internal scale, where one represents the highest level of severity. Meta has confirmed the incident and said an investigation is underway.

Meta Confirms Probe Into Data Exposure

A Meta spokesperson said the company had built privacy protections into the programme but had decided to suspend it while the matter was being examined.

“We have carefully designed this program with privacy safeguards, and while we have no indication at this time that any data was improperly accessed by Meta employees, we’re pausing it while we investigate,” the spokesperson said.

The reported leak involved access to employee conversations, performance-related information and transcriptions that were allegedly visible across the company.

According to the report, the exposure raised concerns among employees about how sensitive information had been handled.

AI Training Project Recorded Employee Activity

The programme at the centre of the controversy is known as the Model Capability Initiative (MCI).

Meta had reportedly installed the software on computers used by employees in the United States to collect mouse movements, clicks and keystrokes that could be used to train artificial intelligence systems.

According to an internal memo previously shared by a staff AI research scientist, the software operated across work-related applications and websites and periodically captured snapshots of content displayed on employees’ screens.

Participation in the programme was reportedly mandatory for most employees, a decision that had already drawn criticism from some staff members.

Workers had expressed discomfort over the extent of activity monitoring, according to the report.

Employees Raise Questions Over Privacy Controls

The latest incident appears to have intensified internal concerns.

Screenshots obtained by Business Insider indicated that some employees questioned why sensitive information had not been more tightly restricted from the outset.

Several employees reportedly expressed frustration over the broad accessibility of the data within the company.

The incident comes shortly after Meta Chief Technology Officer Andrew “Boz” Bosworth acknowledged that employee morale had fallen to near historic lows amid layoffs and AI-related changes.

Latest Incident Adds to Security Concerns

The data exposure is the latest in a series of security-related issues confronting Meta.

Last month, reports suggested that a flaw in the company’s AI chatbot allowed hackers to take control of several Instagram accounts.

Among the accounts reportedly affected were the Obama-era White House Instagram page, beauty company Sephora and the account of a senior US Space Force official.

The latest leak is unlikely to ease concerns among employees already dealing with organisational changes linked to Meta’s push into artificial intelligence.

As the investigation continues, questions remain over how the company balances AI development with employee privacy and data security.

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